


You're Only 17

by metamodernity



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:40:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23976142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/metamodernity/pseuds/metamodernity
Summary: Bella Swan is 17, and a junior in high school in 2020. At the beginning of March, she moves up to Washington to live with her loving father, Charlie. She's never been one to keep up with the news, but this is kind of hard to ignore. After just a few days at school, just as Spring Break is beginning, her new life is put on pause as Covid-19 hits Washington State. It only goes downhill from there.Yes, I am writing Twilight fic in the year of our lord 2020. This is a look at what the Cullen's life would be like if Bella were to be turned while dying of coronavirus, inspired by Edward being turned during the Yellow Fever pandemic. This is my first work since high school and my first on this account. Any constructive criticism is much appreciated! I am not trying to make light of how serious Covid-19 is, or make fun of anyone who has passed. This is a serious situation and subject, and I will try to treat it with the nuance that it requires. Title taken from song 17 by the Greeting Committee.
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Bella Swan
Comments: 5
Kudos: 22





	1. Prologue

Where do we go when we die? Bella had always wondered, she figured everyone had. Who doesn’t ask themselves at one point or another what’s waiting for them on the other side? She figured she had a long road standing between herself and the answer to that question. To quote Alice, the future is never set. Bella was right for many years. The road was long, and then incredibly, perilously short. Bella Swan’s road ended abruptly, and without reason, but she didn’t find an answer to her question at the end of it. No, the end of Bella’s road gave way to an ocean of possibilities where the question of death no longer seemed quite as important.  



	2. Chapter 1: March 7th, 2020

“Are you sick?”, The question snapped Bella out of her reverie. She was reading Wuthering Heights for the eightieth time while sitting at her gate. “Miss, are you sick?’, it was a perky blonde gate agent. Bella realized faintly that she had coughed once or twice.  
“Oh, I just coughed a little, I’m sure I’m fine. I appreciate your concern though.”  
“Miss, I’m sorry, but if you’re sick I’m going to have to ask that you wear a mask.” replied the gate agent, handing her a surgical face mask.  
She took the mask with a smile as the gate agent nodded, satisfied, and let Bella to her book.This was no big surprise to Bella. There was barely anyone at the Phoenix airport, but it was still in the middle of a busy city. Everyone was holding their breath, including Bella’s mom. She’d been shocked that Charlie still wanted her to move out to Forks considering the state of the world so far this year, and was incredibly reluctant to let her leave her hometown.  
“Speak of the devil”, Bella thought to herself. Her phone buzzed in her back pocket. Renee wanted to let Bella know the offer was still open for a road trip to Washington. Bella snickered, as if she would let her mom go so far out of her way when this entire move was to make Renee less stressed on Bella’s behalf. “Coronavirus”, Bella thought, flipping her dark brown hair over her shoulder. “As if World War III weren’t enough trouble.”  
A garbled microphone kicked on, calling Group 7 to board. Bella dogeared a page in her well-loved book, and started towards her gate.

Forks was just as Bella remembered it. Dark skies, dark trees, dark everything, blew across the car window. Even her dad’s dark hair and eyes were a change from the cheery dirty blonde-ness of her mom. Bella ached at that thought. Her mom’s smiling eyes and happy-go-lucky attitude. Just the thought of the life she left made her feel warmer than anything in Forks would, she was sure of that. “It’s nice to see Charlie, though,” she thought. Even though Charlie’s life was so far removed from her own, Bella knew he loved her. She was happy to be around someone so like herself for a change. No expectation to chit-chat. Well, maybe the expectation was there, but the knowledge of how was foreign to both parties.  
“So, how was the flight?” Charlie asked, his question stilted in his awkward-Charlie way.  
“Fine. Short.”  
“Did Renee give you that?” Charlie bobbed his head at Bella’s face.  
“No, a girl from the airline asked me to wear it.”  
Charlie went quiet, as if he were thinking. “Serious down there huh?”  
“Yep.”  
As they drove through Forks’ tiny downtown, Bella noticed that not everything was as she remembered it. Usually, the diner was packed with hunters, fishers, and cops like Charlie, but it was deserted.  
“Seems like people are taking it pretty seriously here too.”  
“They are. Glad to have you somewhere less crowded.”  
That explained why Charlie wanted Bella in Washington still. He thought she would be safer in a less populated city. Bella didn’t know how true that was, but she also didn’t think it was as serious as everyone was making it out to be. Her stepdad, Phil, had said it was almost exactly the same as the flu, so how serious could it really be?

By the time they pulled into Charlie’s driveway, Bella had said a total of 5 sentences and a handful of words, and she was content with that.  
Bella stumbled up to her room. She’d have to be careful of the stairs, Renee’s house was only one floor. “This is going to end so badly.” Bella thought, taking care not to wipe out on the hardwood in her socks.  
“Uh. If you want anything different let me know.” Charlie said, dropping her bags carefully on the rug.  
“No, same old room. It’s fine the way it is.” She picked up a framed crayon drawing she’d done as a child. Even when Bella had spent her summers in Forks, she hadn’t really put any effort into her bedroom. Whack a crib against the left wall and it would be almost the same as when her parents were still married. She would have to move things around in there at some point, but there wasn’t anything she wanted to bother Charlie with.  
Charlie nodded and kissed her forehead, “Welcome home, Bells.” He gave her a grin and spun around, Bella knew he was missing some football game or another. 

The doorbell rang as Bella washed the dish she’d eaten her diner food dinner off of. Charlie sprang from his chair, laughing like a kid. This display left Bella both shocked and confused, she followed her father out to the front yard cautiously.  
A massive black pickup truck was parked on the street in front of Charlie’s house. It looked like it belonged to the older man in a wheelchair quickly rolling towards an excited Charlie. The older man grinned fiercely at Charlie, and pointedly yelled “Hi Bella!”  
Charlie turned his head from the man to see her standing in the front doorway, unsure of who this guy was and how he knew her name. She waved at him anyway, and walked down the driveway to stand next to her dad.  
“You remember Billy Black?” asked Charlie, side-eyeing Bella in a knowing way. Bella did remember Billy Black. He came over to watch games with her dad all through her childhood, he was Charlie’s best friend.  
“And Jacob.” It was then that Bella noticed a young guy coming around the side of the truck. He smiled at her, but his eyes looked tired. Worried. Bella remembered him faintly from playdates. His long black hair was the same, it matched his dad’s. Jacob was nostalgia personified.  
“Yeah, we used to play when we were little.” Bella grinned at Jacob, he mirrored her, exposing a bright white smile.  
Billy angled himself toward Bella, “We just came around to drop off your housewarming gift.” Billy said, turning to face the driveway. Bella had been so confused about Charlie’s excitement that she hadn’t even noticed the gigantic red truck that had been deposited in front of Charlie’s house. She ran up to it, stroking the faded paint job and grinning wildly. She thought she was going to have to buy her own car, but Charlie had jumped the gun. It was ancient, but sturdy. It was perfect.  
“No way, it’s beautiful!” Bella shot at Charlie.  
Jacob came up next to her. “We totally rebuilt the engine. Should run perfectly.”  
“I assume “we” means “you?”  
Jacob laughed, “Yeah, I did most of the work. All of the work. But I promise, it’ll run great.”  
Bella swung open the door and hopped behind the wheel. She clicked the key to start the engine and the red beast growled to life.  
“Why is it so damn loud?” Bella yelled over her housewarming gift  
“I said we fixed the engine, not the muffler!” screamed Jacob, his voice breaking, as he hopped into the passenger seat next to her.  
Bella turned off the car and pulled the key out of the transmission.  
“How much did my dad pay you for all this?”  
“It’s a labor of love. That’s priceless.”  
So. Nothing. Who would pass up a free truck?  
“My dad really wanted out of the house, so he came with me to drop it off. Now I have to put up with is crazy driving on the way home.” Jacob’s smile crinkled in mock misery.  
Bella laughed, “Why did he want out of the house so bad?”  
“My sisters and I have been trying to keep him home. His health isn’t great and we really don’t want him to get sick.”  
“Ah. Yeah, I can see that. Can’t keep either of them locked up for long though. Are they always like that?’  
Jacob turned to look at Charlie hopping with his fists up as Billy tried to roll over his toes. He laughed, “Yeah, it gets worse with age though.” 

Bella hung up her brand new parka on a hook near her door, knowing she’d need it for school the next day. She still regretted her choice to fly in on a Sunday, but she really didn’t want to make her mom pay too much for a ticket.  
She glanced out the front window at her beautiful, new, ancient truck. Maybe tomorrow wouldn’t be as bad as she thought, if she didn’t have to be dropped off at Forks High in a police car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That wraps up Chapter 1! What do we think of the length? I'm finishing final exams right now, but I'll be able to post updates consistently soon. Bella's first day of school in Chapter 2!


	3. Chapter 2: March 8th, 2020

Bella woke up Monday morning miserable and cold. She realized she’d left the window open the whole night. If that didn’t air out her musty old bedroom, she didn’t know what would. She dully swung out of bed and shivered to the window, slamming it shut. She heard the door creak behind her.  
“Morning, Bells,” ah, Charlie. “Want breakfast? I made eggs.”  
Bella was skeptical at that. She once watched Charlie burn one of those pre-wrapped PB&J sandwiches. “Yeah, I’ll be down soon,” she replied anyway. No use stopping him now. It was nice of him to try, at least.  
Charlie opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, but instead just nodded and left. Bella smiled to herself a little, he didn’t really know how to handle this new living situation, but he clearly wanted her there. 

Bella pulled into school a few minutes early, shutting the door with a loud squeak. She hadn’t even had to pull up Google Maps on her phone, this town was that small. The school was really just down the road from Charlie’s. The smell of burnt “egg,” if it could still be called that, was caught in her nose over the fresh rain scent of the world around her.  
Before Bella could shut herself back into a reflection on how awful the Pacific Northwestern climate was and how much she missed the damn sun, an electronic bell rang over a speaker system. She snapped to attention and hastily walked towards one of the many squat brick buildings, this one labeled “Front Office.”  
The coziness of the whole school felt alien to Bella as she started up the muddy walkway. She never thought she’d long for 90’s-pattern carpet or white speckled tile, but the hardwood floor beneath her didn’t feel like school. She shook her coat as she entered the office. This was where the outdated 90’s style was hiding in Forks High School, only it felt less like school and more like her Gran’s house.  
A redheaded woman in out-of-place Cateye glasses pushed a fake fern closer to the wall and rolled closer to Bella.  
“Can I help you?”  
“I’m Isabella Swan,” Bella informed her. The desk lady flashed a face of recognition as if Bella’s reputation preceded her. Bella wondered faintly if Charlie ever talked about her, or about her mom. Renee wasn’t exactly a subtle woman, and she left Forks for a reason. She always told Bella she’d felt out of place in Forks, and it seemed to Bella that feeling was justified. Yet another reason Bella would never let her mom drive her to Forks.  
“Of course. I have your schedule here and a map of the school. You’ll need all your teachers to sign this slip and turn it in at the end of the day”  
The desk lady pushed both across the counter at Bella, but she didn’t smile at her. She looked with curiosity, giving Bella a chance to realize she was wearing gloves. Not the warm ones everyone sported in this hell of a climate, but latex ones. Bella gave the woman’s hands a weird glance, and she snapped out of her analysis of Bella’s person.  
“Can’t be too careful. I would show you your classes on the map, but I don’t want to get too close. Would you take some hand sanitizer?”  
Bella stood, dumbfounded. Germaphobes are really kicking it into high gear this year.  
She took the hand sanitizer and left the building, eyes glued to her map. She managed to puzzle out that her first class, English, was in Building 3, opposite the cafeteria from the parking lot. She took a deep breath and started towards the building. Her hands shook a little, either from cold or nerves, but Bella really couldn’t tell which. She got into the room early, thank god. She didn’t want to be the last one to come in, didn’t want to let the townspeople oogle the interloper. She slumped into the building, hoping to avoid notice, and handed the sign-in slip to her first teacher. Mr. Mason, as his nameplate proclaimed him to be, grinned at Bella and pointed her at a seat. 

The classes at Forks High were minuscule compared to the ones back home. Bella studied her syllabus as Mr. Mason lectured. She’d already read everything on it at her old school, or on her own. Bella felt a little guilty for comparing everything in Forks to Phoenix, because honestly, how could soggy little Forks ever compare to her home? She knew what this place was like when she decided to move here. She wasn’t trying to make a martyr of herself by letting her mom and Phil do what would make them most happy, she wasn’t condemning herself. She just...missed home.  
The electronic bell rang, and Bella’s inner turmoil came to a temporary close. She mentally bookmarked where she’d been in it, she’d pick it up in her next mind-numbing class. Not Gym though, definitely not Gym. She’d need her mental faculties going at full speed for that. She started to shrug on her parka.  
Another student approached her. He was fiddling with his hair as he confidently stepped in front of her. He smiled, and Bella was shocked he didn’t have braces.  
“You’re Isabella Swan, aren’t you?  
“Bella” she corrected, wondering if Charlie went around calling her by her full name. She felt like everyone in the room turned to look at her.  
“Where’s your next class?”  
“Um, Government, with Jefferson. Building Six.” Was he going to try to walk with her?  
“Oh, I’m headed toward Building Four, I could show you the way.” So yes, yes he was.  
“I’m Eric,” he extended a hand, Bella shook it. It was clammy.  
Bella stepped out into the rain, Eric following close behind. Bella felt like she was being watched. She figured it was mostly from the nerves of being the new girl, but she was also likely the hot gossip on campus.  
“So, this is pretty different from Phoenix, huh?” Eric chimed in.  
“Very.”  
“It doesn’t rain much there does it?”  
“Three or four times a year.”  
“Wow, what must that be like?” Eric said wistfully.  
“Sunny.”  
“You don’t look very tan.”  
“My mother is part albino.”  
Eric looked at her skeptically. Bella sighed, apparently her sense of humor was too dry for this climate. They’d reached Bella’s building anyway.  
“Well, good luck, maybe we’ll have some other classes together.” Bella could hear the hope in his voice. She gave him a polite smile and turned the door handle. 

The rest of the morning was uneventful, but Bella couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. Not in a creepy way, just as if the whole school already knew who she was. She’d gone from Miss Teen Arizona Klutz back home to Local Oddity in a heartbeat. She managed to strike up a few conversations with some girls in her classes. Bella had never been great at making female friends. Or friends period. She mostly talked to her mom, and read old books. She kept her head down and she had always been happy with that. Here, though, she’d decided it would be impossible. In Forks, Bella wasn’t just a girl at school. She was the Police Chief’s daughter.  
One girl, whose name she couldn’t remember, had sat with her in both Trig and Spanish. Emily? Sarah? It was one of those ubiquitous WASP-y names. WASP girl walked with Bella to lunch and introduced her to a table of her friends. Eric waved at her dopily from his seat at the table. Bella was only half-listening to the table gossip when something caught her eye. That was the first time she saw them. 

The most gorgeous human beings Bella had ever seen entered the cafeteria. The hardwood looked so dingy next to their skin. They looked as if they had been cast in marble, Athenian busts come to life. They looked exactly the same and totally different at the same time.  
The first boy looked as if someone had resurrected a statue of Julius Cesar, and given him a full head of hair. His jawline was perfect, and the girl on his arm only accentuated his musculature. She, the girl, was. Barely a girl. She was a blonde bombshell of a woman, a Victoria’s Secret model, with a cutting smile. The second couple was a blonde boy, with chin-length curly blonde hair and his Tinker Bell companion. Bella swore the pixie had made eye contact with her for a millisecond. She’d looked sad, or excited, but Bella wasn’t sure she hadn’t imagined it.  
The last one to stride into the cafeteria was the most beautiful person Bella had ever seen. He had high cheekbones, and a stern, longing expression. His hair was copper and almost gleamed like the real thing. Bella would kick herself later for thinking these people glowed or almost sparkled. The only thing they all had in common was their tawny brown eyes.  
“Who are they?” Bella asked, pushing her awe to the back of her head.  
That’s when the copper-haired boy’s eyes met Bella’s friend’s. He turned away quickly, but this time, Bella knew she hadn’t imagined it. He looked upset, furious even, but only for a moment.  
The WASP girl giggled. She ducked her head towards Bella and blushed.  
“That’s Edward, Emmett, and Alice Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale; they all live with Doctor Cullen and his wife.”  
Bella looked back at Cullen's table. They were all picking their food apart, just barely. Like birds. She had never met anyone named “Emmett” or “Rosalie.” Maybe that was in style in these small towns? Old names? Bella finally remembered that the WASP-y girl was named Jessica. She’d known plenty of Jessicas.  
“They are...very nice-looking.” Bella rolled her eyes at her own incredible understatement.  
“Yes!” Jessica agreed, and giggled, “They’re all together though- Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean. And they live together.”  
Clearly Bella wasn’t the greatest source of gossip in Forks. It was a little weird, though, Bella had to admit. Even in a big city like Phoenix, it would be an oddity.  
“Which ones are the Cullens?” Bella wondered, “They don't look related.”  
“Oh, they’re not. Dr. Cullen is really young, in his twenties or early thirties. They’re all adopted. The Hales are actually brother and sister, twins- the blondes- and they’re foster children.”  
“They look a little old for foster children.”  
“They are now, Jasper and Rosalie are both eighteen, but they’ve been with Mrs. Cullen since they were eight. She’s like, their aunt or something.”  
“That’s really kind of nice- for them to take care of all those kids like that when they’re so young and everything.”  
“I guess so,” Jessica muttered reluctantly. 

Bella was absorbed by the Cullen family for the remainder of lunch. None of them really ate, they barely even talked to each other.  
“Have they always lived in Forks?”  
“No,” Jessica intoned as if Bella should already know this, “They just moved down two years ago from somewhere in Alaska.” Bella nodded, she knew she’d have noticed them on a visit to Forks when she was a kid. How could you not notice a family like that? Bella pitied the Cullens, just a little. They clearly didn’t fit in in Forks, as beautiful as they all were. She was glad to know that her suspicions were confirmed, that she wasn’t the only new person, and she wasn’t the only source of gossip.  
“Which one is the boy with the reddish-brown hair?”  
“That's Edward. He’s gorgeous, of course, but don’t waste your time. He doesn’t date. Apparently none of the girls here are good-looking enough for him.” Jessica looked offended, clearly she’d been snubbed. Bella tried to hide her smile at that thought. 

After a few more minutes of Cullen-watching, Jessica and her friends stood up. Bella had sat with them longer than she normally would for the sake of catching a few more glimpses of Edward, but she was actually better for it. One of the girls from the table, Angela, had Biology II with her next period. They were well-matched, both shy, walking to class in silence. Bella hoped faintly she might finally have a female friend. Her heart stopped though when they entered the building. She also had Biology with Edward Cullen.  
Angela split from Bella to sit at her assigned lab table, in the corner opposite the door. Bella walked up to the teacher to get her slip signed, passing a rigid Edward on her way. She glanced at him from the front of the room. His eyes were deep, violent black, full of an emotion Bella couldn’t identify.  
She noticed the empty seat next to him, but that didn’t stop her shock at being sat next to him. She stumbled over her own feet on the way to that end of the room, a girl at the back giggled at her as every one of her classmates glared at the new girl. She took her place next to Edward as class began. 

He barely moved. Bella began to wonder if he really was a marble bust. He was leaning as far away from her as he possibly could, cornered against the counter and the lab table. He had his nose upturned, faced away from his new lab partner. Bella wondered if she smelled, or if he was just that disgusted by the idea of associating with the new girl. His family didn’t strike her as cruel, so she focused on the former of her ideas. She sniffed her hair inconspicuously. Strawberry, her shampoo. That couldn’t be it then either.  
Edward Cullen glared daggers at her the rest of the class. Bella never got to reopen her inner turmoil, she was too focused on the tension slathered thickly around her lab table. She struggled and failed to come up with a reason why he would hate her so much, what had she done to offend him?  
The bell rang and Edward shot out of his seat. Before Bella could pursue him, a friendly male voice caught her notice.  
“Aren’t you Isabella Swan?” A cute, puppyish boy with dirty blonde hair smiled at her. Clearly it wasn’t that she smelled bad.  
“Bella.” she smiled.  
“I’m Mike.”  
“Hi, Mike.”  
“Do you need any help finding your next class?”  
“I’m headed to the gym, actually. I think I can find it.”  
“That’s my next class, too.” Mike seemed thrilled. Bella supposed not all the gossip about her was off-putting. They walked to class together, Mike filling the air with a stream of chatter. Bella was fine with that, she really didn’t care for small talk. He was by far the nicest person Bella had met. He was originally from California so he could relate to Bella, and he was in her English class too. As they were walking, he asked the key question.  
“So, did you stab Edward Cullen with a pencil or what? I’ve never seen him act like that.” Bella’s heart sank, it really was because of her that Edward Cullen was being so weird, and she wasn’t even the only one who’d noticed. Maybe if she played dumb...  
“Was that the boy I sat next to in Biology?”  
“Yes, he looked like he was in pain or something.”  
“I don’t know. I never spoke to him.”  
“He’s a weird guy.” Mike lingered at the locker room, “If I were lucky enough to sit by you, I would have talked to you.”  
Bella grinned and walked through the locker room door. She knew when she was being flirted with, but it didn’t do much to make her feel better about the Edward Conundrum. 

Gym went as she expected: disastrous. Lack of coordination and volleyball are not quite a match. The final bell rang and Bella walked slowly to the Front Office, shivering slightly in the wind. When she entered the building, she almost didn’t hand in her signed slip thanks to who was in there. 

That marble-bust bastard. He was arguing with the front desk lady about something.  
“There aren’t any other science classes open, I’m sorry.” the desk lady said exhaustedly.  
Edward stiffened as I entered. “Well. I can see that’s impossible. Never mind then.” His voice was like honey, deep and sweet. He turned on his heel at almost superhuman speed and left. Not even a glance was thrown at Bella.  
She approached the desk, handed in her slip, and drove home trying not to cry. Forks High School was fine, but its resident bachelor? Not so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was Bella's first day at school! I've tried to keep as close to the book as I can with this one, though I did take some creative liberties. The next chapter is where I'm going to start to deviate from canon, so get ready! This one was so ridiculously long but I grinded it out instead of studying for tomorrow's final oops. 
> 
> ps Emily, I'm sorry I called you a WASP. Ily <3


	4. Chapter 3: March 10th-20th, 2020

Forks High was growing on Bella. Edward Cullen had gone missing, but honestly, Bella had stopped caring. She was busy figuring out what it meant to be a high schooler in a small town. The weather was starting to get better, and by the time the end of her second week rolled around, she felt like she actually might fit in with these people.

“Bella!” Jessica was tapping Bella’s shoulder, “I said are you in for the beach this weekend?”   
Bella looked back at her new friend. She hadn’t heard the conversation leading up to this point at all. She’d been too busy staring pointedly across the lunchroom at the Cullens, asking herself where Copper Top had gone. She didn’t think about him all that often anymore, but there was such a glaring hole at his family’s lunch table that she almost couldn’t help but think about him. Spring Break was this next week, Bella wondered faintly if he’d died or something. His siblings definitely looked dejected enough for that to be it. She felt a stab of regret, she hoped whatever it was, that he was okay. She hoped that she hadn’t been mad at him for all this time for acting weird when it was really about something in his personal life.

“It’ll be really fun, Bella, I bet you’ve never surfed before.” Angela smiled through her comment.   
“Wait, what are we doing?” Bella asked.   
Mike laughed, “We’re going to La Push tomorrow, it’s the beach on the rez west of town. I-,” Mike stuttered for a millisecond. “We would all love it if you came.” Bella was flattered by his advances, but she was surprised. She was cute, she guessed, but she’d always thought of herself as just. Plain. Her lips were too thin, her chest too flat. Boys didn’t really take notice of her back home, or girls, for that matter. Slimmer pickings here, maybe?  
“Yeah, I’ll have to clear it with Charlie, but I can come. I don’t think I’ll do any surfing though,”   
“Aww, but it would be so funny to watch someone as clumsy as you surf. I’ve never seen someone trip sideways on the stairs before, but you sure managed it!” Jessica giggled.   
“I did warn you, I’m a mess at anything physical,” Bella said, as Eric’s eyes widened, “Not that Eric, Jesus!” They all dissolved into laughter at Bella’s accidental innuendo. Jessica gave Eric a playful tap on the upside of his head.  
Bella liked her new friends. It was really nice to have people to eat lunch with, people to go out with. She’d never done anything like this back home. It wasn’t that she was antisocial or anything, she just. Kept to herself. She hoped that Mike would give up on her eventually, though. She’d never been into athletic guys, and it was obvious to everyone but Mike himself that Jessica was in love with him. 

“La Push, baby!” Eric exclaimed gleefully as he pulled his van into a little parking lot uphill from the beach. Angela giggled and touched his arm. Bella mentally applauded her guts, Eric wasn’t Bella’s type, but Angela definitely knew what she wanted and was working towards it. 

The three of them stepped out of the van as Mike and Jessica pulled up in Mike’s fancy refurbished Chevy. It was cherry red and glossy under the light mist of rain. Jessica got out of the passenger seat and threw her arms up in the air. To everyone’s horror, she was in a white tie-top bikini with cherries on it exactly the same color as Mike’s car.   
“Spring Break!” Jessica yelled, “Let’s hit it, party people!”  
Eric made a strangled noise, eyes glued to Jessica’s chest, “Jess, for fuck’s sake put those away!” he cringed and averted his eyes. Angela looked both pleased at Eric’s reaction and annoyed at Jessica.   
“Jessica for the love of god it is 60 degrees, take my sweatshirt,” Mike followed Jessica with his grey hoodie.   
“Oh my god, guys, it was a joke. I thought it would help everybody get in the Spring Break spirit,” Jessica started to pull on a wetsuit over her bikini. Bella wondered if that wouldn’t be equally as freezing in the water. 

Bella walked up to the edge of the blacktop parking lot, and down to the ocean below. The chatter of the others behind her was drowned out by the ocean. Bella had seen it hundreds of times before. After she stopped coming up to Forks for the summers, she would vacation with Charlie in California. She loved the sunny, sandy beaches, but this was different. She felt like the ocean had more power here, like the greyish skies were tense with electricity, and the gravel had a story. She loved it. 

“Bella, let’s go, come on!” yelled Mike from behind her.   
“Coming,” Bella took off towards the others headed down the hill, “Like I’d give up the chance to watch you guys all fall off your boards.”   
“Oh, like I’d ever fall off on accident,” Mike scoffed, “Everything you’re about to see is 100% purposeful,” Mike said, and yelped as he got a rock stuck in his shoe.   
“Actually Bella, I don’t surf either. I brought a blanket and some snacks though, it’ll be nice to have someone to sit with on the beach.” Angela smiled timidly. Bella liked her the most of the lot of them. 

They laid out the pink and white quilt Angela had brought on the sand and took a seat.   
"So, you probably aren't used to beaches like this, huh?"  
"Yeah, I've been to a lot of beaches in California, but never one like this."  
"I love this one especially," Angela stared into the middle distance, "it's like you can see the whole world from right here."  
Bella nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t know places like this existed, especially not on this side of the country.”  
“They don’t, our beach is one of a kind,” said a voice from behind them, “and we like to keep it to ourselves most of the time.” It was Jacob Black, and two of his friends, Jacob had a mask patterned with little arrows on his face.   
“Jacob, hey!” Bella said, standing up, “What’re you doing here?”  
“I just said, this is our beach.” Jacob’s eyes gave away his smile.   
“Har har, sure it is.” Bella had missed sarcasm, it didn’t pass with the townspeople, but Jacob knew what she meant.   
“Are these friends of yours, Bella?” Angela began to stand up.   
“Yeah, this is Jacob, he’s my dad’s best friend’s son. We were friends as kids.”  
“Yo,” Jacob replied, waving at Angela.   
“Who are your friends, though, Jake?” Bella nodded her head at Jacob’s companions.   
“Embry and Quil,” they both waved.  
Bella heard muffled footsteps from behind her. “Bella, there you are!” Mike yelled, Jessica sending him a pointed glare from the surf.   
“Is that your boyfriend?” Jake cocked an eyebrow quizzically.   
Bella snorted, “He wishes.”

One of Jake’s friends struck up a conversation with Angela. A flirtatious conversation with Angela. Angela looked a little freaked out at the guy's advances, but she seemed to be holding her own. The other friend had one hand on Mike’s surfboard and a serious look on his face. Bella couldn’t see Mike’s face, but his hand gestures looked…insistent. Bella was regarding the scene fondly, Jacob at her side. 

“You know I was hoping I’d see you at school. I guess we have classes at different times because you’re younger?” Bella asked.   
“Nah, actually, the three of us go to school on the rez,” Jacob’s eyes crinkled in a smile, “It’s more exclusive.”  
“Ah, I see. Can’t get caught hanging out with the townspeople?” Bella had a light smile on her face, only noticeable if you knew her, but Jake noticed it. He laughed back, wickedly. He had one of those laughs that were just perfectly infectious, that held nothing back. Bella decided she liked him. 

“How’s your dad by the way? Char- I mean. My dad will want to know when I tell him I ran into you.” Bella asked. Jacob’s face fell. She couldn’t see his mouth, but she could see the worry in his eyes.   
“He’s okay, mostly. He hasn’t been feeling well since Monday night. I’m trying to talk him into getting tested for… you know,” Jacob looked up at Bella, his eyebrows crinkled, “But he won’t go.”   
“Oh my god, Jacob,” Bella put a hand on Jake’s shoulder, “Do you want me to see if my dad will talk to him? Maybe he could convince him to go?”  
“That might help, actually. I think if the sheriff tells you to do something, you kind of have to.” Jake let out a half-hearted laugh.

Bella laughed quietly once, and sighed. Even now, Jake was joking. Bella still wasn’t sure this was as big a deal as everyone was making it out to be, but this was her dad’s best friend. She thought about texting her dad right then and there, but decided the situation required a little more delicacy than that. 

Angela shot her a meaningful look, as if to ask if she was okay, Bella just smiled and nodded at her. The friend of Jake’s she’d been flirting with was trying to telegraph a similar message to Jake with his eyebrows. Jake just shook his head and looked at the ground.   
Later in the car ride back, when her friends were all laughing about classes, about movies and life, Bella sat quiet, dumbfounded, the beginnings of fear creeping into her system. 

“I’m home, dad!” Bella yelled into the house, carefully placing her sandy shoes on a tray near the door.   
“In here Bells,” Charlie called from the den. He had a cold beer in one hand and the TV remote in the other. He looked relaxed, happy. Shit, Bella really hated to be the source of conflict at all, let alone the bearer of bad news. 

She sat down on the couch next to Charlie’s worn leather recliner. She wondered why her heart was beating so fast, it wasn’t like it was a big deal or anything, Billy Black would be fine. It was just like the flu.   
“I ran into Jacob Black at the beach today,” she started.   
“Oh,” Charlie turned to face her, away from the flatscreen, “How’s he doing?”  
“Good, we didn’t talk much. His dad apparently is sick, though.”  
Charlie’s face scrunched, “Sick how?”  
Bella sighed, she hated doing this to her dad, “Jake thinks he might have Covid, but he’s refusing to go get tested.”  
Charlie looked puzzled, “Why would they think that?”  
“I’m not sure why, Jake didn’t say, but he seemed really worried. He asked if maybe you could talk to Billy, make him get tested.”  
“Well, I’ll have to see if that’s really what it is. And the closest testing center is in Port Angeles, so he’ll need a ride. I don’t want Jake driving him all the way out there on his own.”  
Bella nodded, and made her way back to her room. Charlie was good in a crisis, he was the sheriff, for God’s sake. Bella shook her head to clear it, this wasn’t even a crisis.   
She dropped her dirty bag on the bathroom floor and set about going to bed. She pretended to ignore the way her hands shook as she washed her hair, and acted like she wasn’t thinking about how bad this could really be. 

The next few days sped by in a haze of sleeping, cooking, and homework, alone in the house. Bella texted her new friends a lot, surprisingly. Eric had put them all in a group chat together. Friday night, she was in the middle of watching everyone crucify Mike for being the only one with an Android, when her phone buzzed in her hand. Jess was calling.   
“Bella, hey,” Jess sounded out of breath,”They cancelled school!”  
“What? They couldn’t have, why would they do that?”  
“Corona, Christ you really don’t read the news, do you?”  
Bella heard a faint ding in the background of the call, “Jesus, Bella you have to check your email,”  
Bella put Jessica on speaker and hurriedly opened her school email. Lo and behold, school was cancelled until April 13th.   
“And the lockdown, you can’t have missed that, the sheriff must have told you,”  
“What? No, what lockdown?” Bella’s heart sped up, what the hell was this?   
“The lockdown. Bella, starting tomorrow night, we can’t go out unless it’s for the grocery store, or something. And we’re not allowed to hang out with anyone,”

Bella was stunned. She knew Washington was being hit pretty hard with the virus, she knew her dad was concerned, but she still really thought it wasn’t that bad, that everyone was just overreacting because it was new. She’d never been big on reading the news, or watching it, but it seemed like the news was coming to her now. She put her phone on the bed and stared out the window, not really hearing anything Jessica was chattering about.

Bella was sitting on the den couch with her legs tucked under her that night, waiting for Charlie to get home. She’d been looking online at research, news articles, op-ed pieces, anything she could find. She needed to know what this was, if this really was just overreaction. 

She realized with horror that it wasn’t. This really was more serious than she thought. People were dying, sick, and she and everyone around her were right in the thick of it. She closed her eyes and prayed that her mom and Phil were somewhere safe, that they weren’t travelling. 

The door swung shut and Bella’s head shot up from her laptop. “Dad, I’m in here,” she called, hearing Charlie’s work boots clomp down the hall towards her.   
“So, you’re stuck here for a while, huh?” Charlie said, humorlessly, “Only two weeks at that new school, I’m sorry Bells.”  
Bella nodded. She wasn’t upset about school being cancelled, she was upset because this was terrifying, but she wasn’t about to put Charlie in the awkward position of comforting her.   
“Look, this probably seems scary,” Charlie sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Bella startled a little at the physical affection, but she was grateful for it, “All you need to do is just, stay inside, keep doing your work, and everything is going to be okay.”  
Bella nodded, “I know. Are you going to be going to work still?”  
Charlie nodded back, “Yes, yes I am. People don’t stop doing bad things just because bad things are already happening.”

They sat in silence for a few moments. All Bella could hear in the silent din was Charlie’s breathing, even and low. She latched onto that sound. It reminded her of the ocean at La Push, like the silence had a story, like each breath was charged, except this time, she didn’t like it.   
“Have you heard from Billy Black?” Bella broke the silence.   
Charlie pulled his arm off her shoulders,”Yes, actually. I’m taking him to Port Angeles tomorrow to have him tested.”  
“Do you think he has it?”  
“Honestly, I’m not sure, but I promise I’ll be careful. Everything’s going to be okay, Bella.”  
Bella stared dumbly at the rug. She hoped he was right, but from everything she’d seen online, the world didn’t agree with him. 

She didn’t sleep that night at all, eyes locked on the window, waiting in fear of what was to come next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's where I start to deviate from canon more. Things are going to start to get serious real fast, I hope y'all are looking forward to it! I just finished my second to last final today, so hopefully, I'll be able to get going on regular updates starting next week :)

**Author's Note:**

> Bella Swan is 17, and a junior in high school in 2020. At the beginning of March, she moves up to Washington to live with her loving father, Charlie. She's never been one to keep up with the news, but this is kind of hard to ignore. After just a few days at school, just as Spring Break is beginning, her new life is put on pause as Covid-19 hits Washington State. It only goes downhill from there. 
> 
> Yes, I am writing Twilight fic in the year of our lord 2020. This is a look at what the Cullen's life would be like if Bella were to be turned while dying of coronavirus, inspired by Edward being turned during the Yellow Fever pandemic. This is my first work since high school and my first on this account. Any constructive criticism is much appreciated! I am not trying to make light of how serious Covid-19 is, or make fun of anyone who has passed. This is a serious situation and subject, and I will try to treat it with the nuance that it requires. Title taken from the song of the same name by the Greeting Committee.


End file.
